NC State students in Australian research labs

June 9, 2016

Six NC State students are undertaking training and research experiences in materials science this
summer at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia. Four of the students are
undergraduate students in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) and two are
graduate students in the Department of Statistics. The program, funded by the National Science
Foundation, in its second year and is administered by Dr. Jacob Jones, a Professor of MSE at NC State
and Senior Visiting Fellow at UNSW. Jones says that the program is designed to “provide meaningful
research and training experiences for U.S. students in an international setting, enabling them to become
globally-engaged scientists and engineers.”

Mikayla Moody, an undergraduate materials science student, is finishing her first week in the program.
She says, “I’m excited to do research on the electrocaloric ceramics because I’ve never examined this
particular phenomenon or material before. This research opportunity could help me decide what I want to
study when I go to graduate school.” Mary Kasper adds, “This program will allow me to start creating a
network with international researchers to aid my future career.”

Alexandra Larsen, a 3 rd year graduate student in statistics says, “My work at UNSW involves improving a
new statistical method for materials characterization and developing statistics educational materials for
the materials science community. Conducting this work at UNSW’s School of Materials Science and
Engineering (only a short bus ride from the heart of Sydney) makes this summer an incredible research
and cultural experience!”